Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcast services. These wireless communication networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.
A wireless communication network may include a number of eNodeBs that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with an eNodeB via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the eNodeB to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the eNodeB.
In certain wireless communication systems, in addition to higher power “macro” eNodeBs, a number of relatively small, lower power nodes (e.g., “pico” eNodeBs or relays), may be deployed for capacity enhancements, for example to support machine type communications (MTC) devices. Such devices are typically low cost, low power, and are often deployed in difficult to reach locations, such as a basement. While the macro eNodeBs may have sufficient coverage to reach most MTC devices on the downlink, uplink communications for a given device may be more efficiently provided via a lower power node in close proximity to the devices (e.g., requiring lower uplink transmission power).
While allowing MTC devices to operate across systems with different types of base stations may help enhance service coverage, allowing different types of base stations to serve a same device for uplink and downlink communications present a challenge, for example, due to a need to identify and select low power nodes that are in proximity to a device.